Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Tuesday 19 October 1999

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how is condensate, produced during the rendering process of BSE material, collected and disposed of and who is responsible for its disposal.

Ross Finnie: Bovine tissues that are known to, or might potentially, harbour detectable levels of BSE infectivity in infected animals are classified as Specified Risk Material (SRM). Under statutory controls, SRM must be disposed of by prescribed and controlled methods that include rendering or incineration. Any bovine animal clinically diagnosed as suffering from BSE is compulsorily slaughtered under official control. All suspect carcases are destroyed by incineration.

  Only two of the four mammalian renderers in Scotland are approved to process SRM. In both cases the plants dispose of rendering condensate as effluent via their waste water system. It is the responsibility of the operator to dispose of all by-products of the rendering process in accordance with statutory provisions. Enforcement rests with the appropriate local authority while the Executive’s veterinary staff monitor compliance on a regular basis. Waste water disposal is subject to conditions imposed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Education

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidance to local authorities on the granting of consent to the withdrawal of children from school under section 35 (1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

Mr Sam Galbraith: We have no current plans to issue guidance on that section of the legislation. We are supporting authorities in tackling non-attendance in a number of ways through sharing good practice and promoting a positive ethos in schools. Attendance is one of the key priorities of the Scottish Schools Ethos Network, which is funded by the Scottish Executive to support schools by sharing examples of good practice. We also published "Close to the Mark" in December 1997 which highlights examples of schools which have been successful in tackling non-attendance.

Environment

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to detail the number of telecommunication masts installed in the past two years by local authority area.

Sarah Boyack: This information is not held by the Scottish Executive.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the advice and information given to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and their carers.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive continues to fund Alzheimer’s Scotland Action on Dementia and the Dementia Services Development Centre as the best and most informed agencies to provide specific information, guidance and support for those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and of course their carers.

  More generally, the Health Education Board for Scotland, Health Boards, NHS Trusts and Scottish Local Authorities all share the support and responsibility of adding and improving awareness of local and national advice among all vulnerable groups and carers.

  Advantage is also taken of national days and weeks set aside for the promotion of awareness for individual care need groups.

  I will be announcing shortly details on how a Strategy aimed at supporting carers will be taken forward in Scotland. As part of the Strategy, I have been considering the need for better and more targeted information to carers in such areas as services, benefits and health care information.

Health

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to respond to the need for more respite care for sufferers from Alzheimer’s disease.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive has provided local authorities in Scotland this year with over £1.1 billion for social work services. Further increases of £43.4 million (4%) in 2000-01 and £35.7 million (3.1%) in 2001-02 are planned. It is up to local authorities to allocate these resources to meet local needs and priorities, including the need for respite care for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

  The Scottish Executive is committed to the agenda set out in Modernising Community Care: An Action Plan which requires local authorities to develop, as a priority, effective respite services, meeting users’ and carers’ needs. £5 million, out of the £1.1 billion, has been allocated to local authorities specifically on the basis of their response to the Action Plan. This figure will increase in future years and will continue to be allocated on the basis of individual authorities’ progress on this modernising agenda.

  Respite is essential in helping informal carers of people with Alzheimer’s disease to take a break. I will be announcing shortly to Parliament details on a Carers’ Strategy which will also address this issue.

Housing

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many annual general meetings of the governing bodies of Registered Social Landlords were inquorate, in the last year for which information is available.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many poindings were instigated by the Inland Revenue and by Customs and Excise in Scottish courts in 1997 and 1998, what was their total value in real terms, and how many of them eventually progressed to warrant sales

Mr Jim Wallace: The information is not available. Returns are made on the numbers of poindings and warrant sales carried out but they do not give any indication of who instituted an action.

Sign Language

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide improved resources for the training and employment of British Sign Language interpreters.

Iain Gray: Additional resources of £28,000 for the training of British Sign Language Interpreters (Levels 1-3) were made available in 1998-99, with a further £8,000 in the current year. Details of the allocations of funding are as below :

  


Organisation 


1998-99 

  


1999-2000 

  


Purpose 

  




SENSE Scotland 

  

£14,000 

  

£8,000 

  

Provision of Training in British 

  Sign Language (BSL) Level 1 for 10 people and BSL Level 2 for 

  5 people. 

  



Royal National Institute for the 

  Deaf Scotland 

  

£14,000 

  

- 

  

To train 27 people to BSL Level 

  3. 

  



  The Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters is in receipt of grant of £22,600 in the current year for its training activities. It also receives grant of £22,350 for its core costs.

  The Scottish Executive will be incorporating consideration of the training needs of those who work with people with a sensory impairment into its wider consultations about future development of education and training in social work services.

  Local authorities are also able to use the Specific Grant for Social Work Training to provide training for staff working with people with a sensory impairment

  The employment of British Sign Language Interpreters is the responsibility of all employers who wish to ensure wide access to their services.

Social Inclusion

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take steps to ensure the continued existence of the Greater Easterhouse Council of Voluntary Organisations (GECVO).

Ms Wendy Alexander: I understand that, following a review, the Greater Easterhouse Social Inclusion Partnership Board has agreed that a new organisation should be established to support community and voluntary sector involvement in Greater Easterhouse, and that accordingly funding support for the Greater Easterhouse Council of Voluntary Organisations should not be continued beyond February 2000. The decision not to continue funding was a matter for local decision by the Board, and the Executive has no plans to intervene.

Tourism

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to mark the border between England and Scotland in an appropriate manner and, if so, whether it will co-operate with Scottish Borders Tourist Board in doing so.

Sarah Boyack: There are currently signs on the cross-border routes A1, A7, A68, and A74(M) to mark the border crossings between England and Scotland. The Scottish Executive will co-operate fully with the Scottish Borders Tourist Board should it wish to promote alternative proposals to improve the designation of trunk road crossing points within their area of responsibility.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will consider for the new Parliament building a commemorative wall or other suitable tribute to the founders of Scottish democracy, including lawyer Thomas Muir, John Baird, Andrew Hardie and James Wilson.

Sir David Steel: This suggestion has been noted by the Holyrood Project Team and will be considered by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body in due course.